This invention relates to systems for lubricating a pneumatically-driven surgical tool used in medical operations, and more particularly to systems which introduce lubricants into the compressed airflow which drives the motor.
Different types of surgical tools are driven by compressed air to avoid electrical sparks in a potentially combustible environment of the operating room. The pneumatic motors of such surgical instruments are lubricated via a device that introduces a preset amount of lubricant into the compressed air flow that operates the pneumatic motor. After passing through the motor, the compressed air typically is exhausted into the operating room environment carrying with it the lubricant.
The expulsion of the lubricant with the exhaust air contaminated the environment of the medical operating room. Such contaminants not only may affect the personnel performing an operation, but can be carried into the surgical opening of the patient.
In addition, the expulsion of the lubricant after passing through the motor requires that lubricant supply must be replenished periodically. The operating time of the motor, therefore, is dependent not only on the quantity of lubricant in the lubricator reservoir, but also the feed rate of the lubricant. In order to replenish the lubricant, the motor use must be interrupted, which can be undesirable during a surgical procedure.